{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreibftjflpta4vipo7kxvzahiam5uje2d5dzctz6cvbh3c3u3fvcjfu"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 191769
  },
  "path": "/bears/2026/02/04/patriots-coach-mike-vrabel-bypassed-robert-spillane-twice-now-hes-the-go-to-guy-on-his-super-bowl-team",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-05T01:43:32.782Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Patriots linebacker <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/2014/8/6/18498460/cousins-ryan-smith-and-robert-spillane-enjoying-last-days-together-on-fenwick-field\" >Robert Spillane</a> says the NFL “works in funny ways,” and it sure has for him.</p><p>Patriots coach <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/02/04/from-vastly-different-backgrounds-super-bowl-coaches-mike-vrabel-mike-macdonald-strike-perfect-tone\" >Mike Vrabel</a> was a position coach at Ohio State the first time he passed on Spillane, then a mid-major recruit at Fenwick High School. Vrabel turned him down again in 2018 as Titans coach when he waived Spillane at the end of training camp.</p><p>Years later, he’s Vrabel’s guy. Spillane is leading the Patriots into the Super Bowl against the Seahawks on Sunday as their starting middle linebacker and a team captain. His improbable career has taken him to the sport’s biggest stage.</p><p>“You work every day as if it’s your last in the league because it really could be,” Spillane told the Sun-Times on Wednesday. “I’ve been cut many times, but the more that you pour into it, the more you truly dedicate your life to football, the better your chances of having a long, successful career.</p><p>“Most guys don’t make it a long career. A number of things really have to go right for you. You’ve got to earn your coaches’ trust and stay healthy and take advantage of your opportunities when you do step on the field.”</p><p>The latest adversity for Spillane was hurting his ankle in the AFC Championship Game last month, and he did not practice Wednesday. When asked if he was optimistic about playing Sunday, he emphatically replied, “Very much so.”</p><p>The Patriots are counting on that. Spillane led the team with 97 tackles this season, intercepted two passes, forced a fumble and had a sack. He has the earpiece in his helmet and directs the entire defense, which was No. 8 in the league in the regular season.</p><p>Spillane, 30, had no hard feelings toward Vrabel and called it “an honor and a blessing” to play for him. Forgiveness comes easily with a three-year, $33 million contract, which Spillane signed last year, but it’s deeper than that.</p><p>Vrabel made clear in 2018 he respected Spillane and saw something in him, and the Titans kept him on their practice squad for half the season. He started over with the Steelers the next season and climbed to second-string, then parlayed that into an offer from the Raiders in 2023 to be a starter.</p><p>When the Patriots hired Vrabel as head coach last year, he made Spillane a priority in free agency. Spillane traced all of that back to Vrabel believing in him even a little bit as an undrafted rookie from Western Michigan.</p><p>“He was the first one to give me a chance and let me go to training camp and be on his practice squad,” he said. “He’s the reason I’m in this league in a lot of ways.</p><p>“He saw something in me. I had just gone through a rookie tryout with the Vikings, and it felt like I wasn’t even noticed for three days. So to be noticed by the head coach and given an opportunity, I knew something was there.”</p><p>Even as he has now arrived in every possible way as an eight-year veteran with a multi-year contract, Spillane stays scrappy.</p><p>He assumes nothing about his security with the team, and players love that about him. His persistence leads the way and commands respect.</p><p>“You see it in his play every week,” Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins said. “Those things don’t leave you, regardless of what the contract looks like. That’s his standard and it shows.</p><p>“He’s a real leader on defense with communication. He can do it all: He can come down and stop the run, he can cover, he’s an amazing player. It’s an honor to play with him.”</p><p>Vrabel was that type of player, too, and beyond talent, that had to be part of the potential he saw in Spillane. It took a while, but it has proven to be a pivotal relationship for both of them.</p><p></p><p></p><bsp-list-loadmore class=\"PageListH\" data-module data-hide-authors=\"true\" data-hide-categories=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" data-show-loadmore=\"true\" ><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"list-bc0001\" name=\"list-bc0001\"></a><div class=\"PageList-header\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title-wrap\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears\" target=\"{borderColor=#dfdfdf, pageNumber=1, inverseColors=false, items=[{type=Image, category=[{items=[Bears]}], publishDate=February 04, 2026 07:06 PM, _styledTemplate=null, authors=[{media=[{image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/db/45/4fa7d0e60b81cf16ace05e7c41e9/f5kj4hj-400x400-0.jpg, width=512, height=512}, narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/db/45/4fa7d0e60b81cf16ace05e7c41e9/f5kj4hj-400x400-0.jpg, width=512, height=512}, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, alt=Headshot of Chicago Bears reporter Jason Lieser}], jobTitle=[{items=[Chicago Bears reporter]}], ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, name=[{items=[Jason Lieser]}], _template=/author/byline/AuthorByline.hbs, authorPageUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/jason-lieser, bio=[{items=[Jason Lieser covers the Chicago Bears for the Chicago Sun-Times.]}]}], imageAlignment=null, description=[{items=[Bears coach is up against those two for NFL Coach of the Year, which will be announced Thursday. Vrabel is the favorite, but the good news for the Bears is they’re no longer pining for that type of leader. They have one.]}], isFeatured=false, media=[{alt=Super Bowl Football, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/13/6c/6e44b67b460180e8a32cf1eeadfc/ap26034102534708.jpg, width=6030, height=4020}, narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/13/6c/6e44b67b460180e8a32cf1eeadfc/ap26034102534708.jpg, width=6030, height=4020}}], timestamp=1770253583000, target=null, primaryMediaType=null, url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/02/04/from-vastly-different-backgrounds-super-bowl-coaches-mike-vrabel-mike-macdonald-strike-perfect-tone, categoryUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears, ampLink=null, anchorId=promo-1e0000, audio=[], title=From vastly different backgrounds, Super Bowl coaches Mike Vrabel, Mike Macdonald strike perfect tone, wordCount=927, audioDuration=null, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs}, {type=Image, categoryUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall, wordCount=775, url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/02/04/city-clerk-anna-valencia-audio-archives-chicago-city-council-history-harold-washington-refrigerettes-parking-meter-deal-richard-daley, _styledTemplate=null, imageAlignment=null, isFeatured=false, category=[{items=[City Hall]}], target=null, primaryMediaType=null, timestamp=1770246094000, authors=[{ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/author/byline/AuthorByline.hbs, authorPageUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/fran-spielman, name=[{items=[Fran Spielman]}], jobTitle=[{items=[City Hall reporter]}], media=[{alt=Early_and Often_Spielman.JPG, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/90/45/f68f56954905b5705dec49d0bf36/early-and-often-spielman.JPG, width=5760, height=3840}, narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/90/45/f68f56954905b5705dec49d0bf36/early-and-often-spielman.JPG, width=5760, height=3840}}], bio=[{items=[Fran Spielman is the Sun-Times City Hall reporter who recently celebrated her 40-year anniversary at the Sun-Times and her 50-year anniversary in the Chicago media. She has covered every Chicago mayor since the transition from legendary Mayor Richard J. Daley to Michael Bilandic.]}]}], ampLink=null, publishDate=February 04, 2026 05:01 PM, anchorId=promo-1e0001, media=[{narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/81/dc/b2f8c20b45ab8281d24e86b23eb2/03090-5-4175.jpg, width=2750, height=1912}, alt=Mayor Harold Washington leads cheers with Chicago's \"the Refrigerettes,\" a cheerleading squad that celebrated famed Bear William \"the Refrigerator\" Perry. , ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/81/dc/b2f8c20b45ab8281d24e86b23eb2/03090-5-4175.jpg, width=2750, height=1912}}], audio=[], audioDuration=null, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs, description=[{items=[A 40-year-old recording of then-Mayor Harold Washington leading the Refrigerettes in a rousing cheer for the NFC Champion Chicago Bears just weeks from their only Super Bowl victory is one of 800 newly digitized audio clips showcased on a web page unveiled Wednesday by City Clerk Anna Valencia. ]}], title=From Harold's ‘Refrigerettes’ cheer to the parking meter deal, new recordings reveal iconic Council moments}, {authors=[{media=[{image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/db/45/4fa7d0e60b81cf16ace05e7c41e9/f5kj4hj-400x400-0.jpg, width=512, height=512}, narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/db/45/4fa7d0e60b81cf16ace05e7c41e9/f5kj4hj-400x400-0.jpg, width=512, height=512}, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, alt=Headshot of Chicago Bears reporter Jason Lieser}], ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/author/byline/AuthorByline.hbs, authorPageUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/jason-lieser, jobTitle=[{items=[Chicago Bears reporter]}], bio=[{items=[Jason Lieser covers the Chicago Bears for the Chicago Sun-Times.]}], name=[{items=[Jason Lieser]}]}], category=[{items=[Bears]}], timestamp=1770172704000, type=Image, url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/02/03/former-bears-dt-khyiris-tonga-emerges-as-three-way-player-for-patriots, _styledTemplate=null, imageAlignment=null, isFeatured=false, target=null, primaryMediaType=null, anchorId=promo-1e0002, categoryUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears, media=[{narrowImage={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/1d/15/ac89ccd0425eb6c5f245d271be6d/ap26021640531881.jpg, width=5495, height=3663}, alt=Texans Patriots Football, ampLink=null, _styledTemplate=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, image={src=https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/1d/15/ac89ccd0425eb6c5f245d271be6d/ap26021640531881.jpg, width=5495, height=3663}}], title=Former Bears DT Khyiris Tonga emerges as three-way player for Patriots, ampLink=null, description=[{items=[The Bears drafted Tonga in the seventh round in 2021 and cut him the following year. After bouncing around, he might find stability with the Patriots.]}], publishDate=February 03, 2026 08:38 PM, audio=[], audioDuration=null, wordCount=217, _template=/page/promo/PagePromo.hbs}], footerBgColor=#000000, bodyFont=font-3, showListNumbers=false, imagePositionHorizontal=null, pagination=[{body=[Next Page], href=?p=2, _template=/link/Link.hbs, contentId=null, pianoSectionSlug=null, target=null}], rteBodyFont=font-3, headerBottomBorderColor=#111010, titleUrl=https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears, subTitle=null, stickyHeader=true, listTitleColor=#000000, tableCellBorderColor=#ccd1d5, relatedListFont=font-1, hideAuthors=true, tertiaryTextColor=#6c6c6c, buttonHoverTextColor=#ffffff, tableFont=font-1, carouselAutoPlay=false, promoTitleFont=font-2, _styledTemplate=/page/list/PageListH.hbs, ctaButtonText=[], primaryTextColor=#2a2a2a, buttonTextColor=#ffffff, linkTextColor=#1a1a1a, hideTitles=false, footerLinkColor=#ffffff, carouselSpeed=null, buttonHoverBgColor=#a91d23, rteHeadingFont=font-1, secondaryColor=#656565, hideCategories=true, _template=/page/list/includes/PageList-header.hbs, font3=Arial, font4=Source-serif-4, ctaUrl=null, hideImage=false, suppressPagination=true, footerLinkHoverColor=#d3242c, hideAudioPlayback=false, description=[], showSecondItemMedia=false, listColumns234=null, footerTextColor=#ffffff, title=Latest on the Bears, headerSecondaryBgColor=#000000, primaryTextColorInverse=#ffffff, titleColor=null, ampLink=null, listHeaderPosition=null, hideDescriptions=false, showActionBar=true, linkHoverColor=#d3242c, buttonBgColor=#d3242c, ctaTarget=null, anchorId=list-bc0001, promoButtonText=null, backgroundColor=null, headerSecondaryTextColor=#ffffff, listTitleFont=font-2, headlineFont=font-1, promoDescriptionFont=font-3, primaryColor=#d3242c, slimFooter=false, hideHeadline=false, hideDates=true, headerBorderColor=#e9e9e9, ratingCardFont=font-1, titleTarget=null, tableCaptionColor=#626262, mobileCarousel=false, tableEvenRowsBgColor=#f9f8f3, pullQuoteIcon=[{image=null, narrowImage=null, _template=/image/Image.hbs, alt=null}], containerTitleFont=font-2, listBorderColor=#dfdfdf, count=20436, defaultArticleLeadStyle=standard, pageCount=6812, _parentFiles=[/page/list/includes/PageList-header.hbs]}\">Latest on the Bears</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items\" data-with-borders data-list-loadmore-items> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"From vastly different backgrounds, Super Bowl coaches Mike Vrabel, Mike Macdonald strike perfect tone\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/02/04/from-vastly-different-backgrounds-super-bowl-coaches-mike-vrabel-mike-macdonald-strike-perfect-tone\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2b04de9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6005x4020+25+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F13%2F6c%2F6e44b67b460180e8a32cf1eeadfc%2Fap26034102534708.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8fa64bd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6005x4020+25+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F13%2F6c%2F6e44b67b460180e8a32cf1eeadfc%2Fap26034102534708.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Super Bowl Football\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8fa64bd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6005x4020+25+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F13%2F6c%2F6e44b67b460180e8a32cf1eeadfc%2Fap26034102534708.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears\" >Bears</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/02/04/from-vastly-different-backgrounds-super-bowl-coaches-mike-vrabel-mike-macdonald-strike-perfect-tone\" >From vastly different backgrounds, Super Bowl coaches Mike Vrabel, Mike Macdonald strike perfect tone</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">Bears coach is up against those two for NFL Coach of the Year, which will be announced Thursday. Vrabel is the favorite, but the good news for the Bears is they’re no longer pining for that type of leader. They have one.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1770253583000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/jason-lieser\" >Jason Lieser </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"927\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"From Harold's ‘Refrigerettes’ cheer to the parking meter deal, new recordings reveal iconic Council moments\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/02/04/city-clerk-anna-valencia-audio-archives-chicago-city-council-history-harold-washington-refrigerettes-parking-meter-deal-richard-daley\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f1f8315/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2750x1841+0+36/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F81%2Fdc%2Fb2f8c20b45ab8281d24e86b23eb2%2F03090-5-4175.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7b45704/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2750x1841+0+36/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F81%2Fdc%2Fb2f8c20b45ab8281d24e86b23eb2%2F03090-5-4175.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Mayor Harold Washington leads cheers with Chicago's \"the Refrigerettes,\" a cheerleading squad that celebrated famed Bear William \"the Refrigerator\" Perry. \" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7b45704/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2750x1841+0+36/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F81%2Fdc%2Fb2f8c20b45ab8281d24e86b23eb2%2F03090-5-4175.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall\" >City Hall</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2026/02/04/city-clerk-anna-valencia-audio-archives-chicago-city-council-history-harold-washington-refrigerettes-parking-meter-deal-richard-daley\" >From Harold's ‘Refrigerettes’ cheer to the parking meter deal, new recordings reveal iconic Council moments</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">A 40-year-old recording of then-Mayor Harold Washington leading the Refrigerettes in a rousing cheer for the NFC Champion Chicago Bears just weeks from their only Super Bowl victory is one of 800 newly digitized audio clips showcased on a web page unveiled Wednesday by City Clerk Anna Valencia. </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1770246094000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/fran-spielman\" >Fran Spielman </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"775\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Former Bears DT Khyiris Tonga emerges as three-way player for Patriots\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/02/03/former-bears-dt-khyiris-tonga-emerges-as-three-way-player-for-patriots\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1ffe4ce/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3663+0+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F1d%2F15%2Fac89ccd0425eb6c5f245d271be6d%2Fap26021640531881.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/886d8a6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3663+0+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F1d%2F15%2Fac89ccd0425eb6c5f245d271be6d%2Fap26021640531881.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Texans Patriots Football\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/886d8a6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3663+0+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F1d%2F15%2Fac89ccd0425eb6c5f245d271be6d%2Fap26021640531881.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears\" >Bears</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/02/03/former-bears-dt-khyiris-tonga-emerges-as-three-way-player-for-patriots\" >Former Bears DT Khyiris Tonga emerges as three-way player for Patriots</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">The Bears drafted Tonga in the seventh round in 2021 and cut him the following year. After bouncing around, he might find stability with the Patriots.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1770172704000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/jason-lieser\" >Jason Lieser </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"217\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageList-footer\"> </div> </bsp-list-loadmore><p></p>",
  "title": "Patriots coach Mike Vrabel bypassed Robert Spillane — twice. Now he's the go-to guy on his Super Bowl team.",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-05T01:57:17.858Z"
}